"Hi Ho Silver Lining" is a rock song, written by American songwriters
Scott English and
Larry Weiss and first released as a single in March 1967 by English band
the Attack, then a few days later by
Jeff Beck
Geoffrey Arnold Beck (24 June 1944 – 10 January 2023) was an English musician. He rose to prominence as the guitarist of the rock band the Yardbirds, and afterwards founded and fronted the Jeff Beck Group and Beck, Bogert & Appice. In 1975, ...
. The Attack's version failed to chart, while Beck's recording reached the top 20 of the
singles chart in his native Britain in both 1967 and 1972, becoming his biggest solo hit. Beck's single failed to crack the
''Billboard'' Hot 100 in the United States, however.
The song is popular with fans of numerous
football clubs in the United Kingdom, including
Aston Villa,
Sheffield Wednesday
Sheffield Wednesday Football Club is a professional association football club based in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. They compete in the EFL Championship, the second level of the English football league system.
Formed in 1867 as an off ...
, and
Wolverhampton Wanderers, where it is often chanted by spectators. During the chorus, the words 'silver lining' are usually replaced with the name of the football club in question.
Background
Songwriters English and Weiss started writing a song together, with a chorus of "Hi ho silver lining", but no verses. When producer
Mickie Most heard their early version, he suggested that it would be a hit and persuaded English to complete the lyrics. According to writer and musician
Bob Stanley, English wanted to record a finished version of the song himself, so decided to deter Most by writing "the most unusable, stupid lyric he could think up, about flies in pea soup and beach umbrellas". To English's chagrin, Most liked the song, and had Jeff Beck record it.
Jeff Beck version
In May 1967, Beck's version peaked at No. 14 (for three consecutive weeks) on the
UK Singles Chart during a then lengthy 14-week run. The single spent a further 11 weeks on the chart when reissued in the autumn of 1972, peaking at No. 17 (for three consecutive weeks) in December. In the U.S., Beck's single (released as "Hi-Ho Silver") peaked at No. 123 in May 1967. The song was not included on Beck's album ''
Truth
Truth or verity is the Property (philosophy), property of being in accord with fact or reality.Merriam-Webster's Online Dictionarytruth, 2005 In everyday language, it is typically ascribed to things that aim to represent reality or otherwise cor ...
'' when first released in 1968, but featured as a bonus track on the 2006 reissue.
In 1983, in an all-star jam with
Steve Winwood and
Simon Phillips, Beck performed "Hi Ho Silver Lining" live at the
ARMS Charity Concert, a
charity benefit show for
multiple sclerosis
Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an autoimmune disease resulting in damage to myelinthe insulating covers of nerve cellsin the brain and spinal cord. As a demyelinating disease, MS disrupts the nervous system's ability to Action potential, transmit ...
, at London's
Royal Albert Hall
The Royal Albert Hall is a concert hall on the northern edge of South Kensington, London, England. It has a seating capacity of 5,272.
Since the hall's opening by Queen Victoria in 1871, the world's leading artists from many performance genres ...
. The song was resurrected for the Together and Apart Japanese and U.S. tours with
Eric Clapton
Eric Patrick Clapton (born 1945) is an English Rock music, rock and blues guitarist, singer, and songwriter. He is regarded as one of the most successful and influential guitarists in rock music. Clapton ranked second in ''Rolling Stone''s l ...
in 2009 and 2010. According to Kate Mossman, writing in the ''
New Statesman
''The New Statesman'' (known from 1931 to 1964 as the ''New Statesman and Nation'') is a British political and cultural news magazine published in London. Founded as a weekly review of politics and literature on 12 April 1913, it was at first c ...
'', Beck "has likened 'Hi Ho Silver Lining' to having a pink toilet seat hung around your neck for the rest of your life."
Formats and track listings
1967 7" single
(UK/Holland: Columbia DB 8151, New Zealand: Columbia DNZ 10497, Portugal: Columbia 8E 006-93925)
*A. "Hi Ho Silver Lining" (English, Weiss) – 2:53
*B. "
Beck's Bolero" (Page) – 2:52
Charts
Personnel
*
Jeff Beck
Geoffrey Arnold Beck (24 June 1944 – 10 January 2023) was an English musician. He rose to prominence as the guitarist of the rock band the Yardbirds, and afterwards founded and fronted the Jeff Beck Group and Beck, Bogert & Appice. In 1975, ...
– guitars, vocals
*
John Paul Jones
John Paul Jones (born John Paul; July 6, 1747 – July 18, 1792) was a Scottish-born naval officer who served in the Continental Navy during the American Revolutionary War. Often referred to as the "Father of the American Navy", Jones is regard ...
– bass guitar
*
Clem Cattini – drums
*
Rod Stewart
Sir Roderick David Stewart (born 10 January 1945) is a British singer and songwriter. Known for his distinctive raspy singing voice, Stewart is among the List of best-selling music artists, best-selling music artists of all time, having sold ...
– backing vocals
*
Mickie Most – producer
References
External links
The Attack: Hi-Ho Silver Liningat 45cat.com
The Attack: Hi-Ho Silver Liningat discogs.com
{{authority control
1967 songs
1967 debut singles
Jeff Beck songs
Psychedelic pop songs
Song recordings produced by Mickie Most
Songs written by Scott English
Songs written by Larry Weiss
Decca Records singles
Columbia Records singles